Spatiotemporal Control Over Base-Catalyzed Hydrogelation Using a Bilayer System

Abstract

Controlling the formation and directional growth of hydrogels is a challenge. In this paper, a new methodology to program the gel formation both over space and time is proposed, using the diffusion and subsequent hydrolysis of 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole from an immiscible organic solution to the aqueous gel media.